The Sword in the Stone (1963)
The Sword in the Stone is a 1963 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The 18th Disney animated feature film, The Sword in the Stone was the final Disney animated film to be released before Walt Disney's death. The songs in the film were written and composed by the Sherman Brothers, who later wrote music for other Disney films like Mary Poppins (1964), The Jungle Book (1967), The Happiest Millionaire (1967), The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band (1968), The Aristocats (1970), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, the film is based on the novel of the same name, which was first published in 1938 as a single novel. It was later republished in 1958 as the first book of T. H. White's tetralogy The Once and Future King. The Sword in the Stone was released to theatres on December 25, 1963 to mixed reviews, though it was a box office success. The Sword in the Stone was re-issued theatrically to theatres on March 25, 1983 as a double feature with Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore. Plot The King of England, Uther Pendragon, dies, leaving no heir to the throne, and England threatened to be torn apart by war. Miraculously, the "Sword in the Stone" appears inside an anvil in London, with an inscription proclaiming that whoever removes it will be the new king. No one succeeds in removing the sword, which becomes forgotten, leaving England in the Dark Ages. Years later, a 12-year-old orphan named Arthur, commonly called Wart, accidentally causes his older foster brother Kay to launch his arrow into the forest, whilst hunting a deer. In searching the woods for the arrow, Arthur meets Merlin, an elderly wizard, and his talking pet owl Archimedes. Seeing great potential in the boy, Merlin declares himself Arthur's tutor and returns with the boy to his home, a castle run by Sir Ector, Arthur's foster father. Ector's friend, Sir Pellinore, arrives with news that the annual jousting tournament will be held in London, and the winner will be crowned king. Ector decides to put Kay through serious training for the tournament and appoints Arthur as Kay's squire. In order to educate Arthur, which is to consist of reading, science, and magical transformations, Merlin transforms the boy and himself into fish to swim in the castle moat in order to learn about physics, but more importantly for Arthur to rely upon intellect in facing dangerous situations. Merlin then transforms Arthur and himself into tree squirrels to learn about gravity, and to understand to think before acting. However, Merlin's knowledge of future history confuses Arthur, prompting Merlin to appoint Archimedes as Arthur's teacher. Merlin transforms Arthur into a sparrow and Archimedes teaches him how to fly. During their lesson, Arthur meets Madam Mim, an eccentric, evil witch who is Merlin's nemesis. Merlin arrives to rescue Arthur, and is challenged to a battle of transformations. Despite Mim transforming into a dragon, Merlin outsmarts her, by becoming a bacterium. This finally proves to Arthur that knowledge can be more important than strength. Kay is knighted, and Arthur begins his service as Kay's squire. This causes a falling-out between Arthur and Merlin, who frustrated that Arthur still finds war games more fun than academics, unintentionally transports himself to 20th century Bermuda. On the day of the tournament, Arthur realizes that he has left Kay's sword at an inn, which is now closed for the tournament. Arthur sees the Sword in the Stone in a nearby churchyard, and removes it almost effortlessly, unknowingly fulfilling the prophecy. When Arthur returns with the sword, Ector, Pellinore and another knight, Sir Bart, recognize it and the tournament is halted. Ector places the sword back in its anvil, demanding Arthur prove that he pulled it. Others attempt to remove the sword and can not. Arthur once again removes the sword, proving that he is indeed England's new king, and earning Ector's and Kay's respect. Arthur, crowned king, feeling unprepared for the responsibility of ruling, calls out to Merlin for help, who returns to reassure him, and is elated that Arthur is the king he saw in the future. Merlin tells Arthur that he will go on to lead the Knights of the Round Table, accomplishing many amazing feats and becoming one of the most famous figures in history and even the subject of motion pictures. Voice Cast *Rickie Sorensen, Richard Reitherman, and Robert Reitherman as Arthur, also known as Wart, Disney's adaptation of legendary British leader King Arthur. Arthur was voiced by three actors, leading to noticeable changes in voice between scenes — and sometimes, within the same scene. Also, the three voices have American accents, sharply contrasting with the English setting and the accents spoken by most of the other characters in the film. Mari Ness of the online magazine Tor.com suggests that, "Given that the film is about growing up, this problem might have been overcome" with the three voices being interpreted as Arthur's character development both mentally and physically; however, she also notes that "the director inexplicably chose to leave all three voices in for some scenes, drawing attention to the problem that they were not the same actor." She notes even further that "Two the voice actors were brothers, and sound somewhat similar; the third was not, and sounds distinctly different." Finally, she notes the issue of the American accents of the voices contrasting with the English setting and the accents spoken by most of the other characters in the film, noting that "The only positive: the vocal issues with Wart do help distract attention from the fact that the Brits aren’t particularly good here either." *Karl Swenson as Merlin, an old and eccentric wizard who aids and educates Arthur. *Junius Matthews as Archimedes: Merlin's crotchety, yet highly educated pet owl, who has the ability of speaking. *Sebastian Cabot as Sir Ector, Arthur's foster father. Sebastian Cabot also voiced the narrator at the beginning and end of the film. *Norman Alden as Sir Kay, Arthur's older foster brother and Ector's son. *Martha Wentworth as Madam Mim, a black magic proficient witch and Merlin's archnemesis. Mim's magic uses trickery, as opposed to Merlin's scientific skill. Martha Wentworth also voiced the Granny Squirrel, a dim-witted, elderly female squirrel that develops an attraction to Merlin. *Alan Napier as Sir Pellinore, a friend of Sir Ector who announces the jousting tournament. *Thurl Ravenscroft as Sir Bart, one of the knights at the jousting tournament. *James MacDonald as The Wolf, an unnamed, starving wolf that tries to eat Arthur. *Ginny Tyler as The Little Girl Squirrel, a young female squirrel that develops an attraction to Arthur. *Barbara Jo Allen as Scullery Maid, Ector's maid who believes Merlin to be an evil sorcerer. Category:The Sword in the Stone Category:Films Category:Media Category:Other Media